Fake photos which went so viral that people actually believed them

The Internet is a great tool, and it has definitely contributed to society. But with the spread of the Internet there has also been a lot of fake information spread.

Especially, since the advent of Photoshop the number of fake viral images has skyrocketed. These photos are viral, and you've probably seen them before. But bad news- they're fake.

1. 9-11 Tourist

The "tourist guy" was a hoax that featured a digitally altered photograph of a tourist on the observation deck of the World Trade Center, supposedly on the day of the September 11 attacks, showing a plane about to hit the tower in the background. The man in the photograph was ultimately identified as Hungarian Péter Guzli, who took the photo in 1997. Guzli said he edited the photo as a joke for his friends and did not realize it would spread across the Internet. (Source)

2. Indian Ocean Tsunami

One of many photos that circulated after the tsunami that struck Indian Ocean shorelines in 2004 this was actually a picture of Antofagasta, Chile with waves photoshopped in. (Source)

3. The Fairy Pools of Scotland

4. Japanese Moonmelon

This picture and caption has been circulating around the internet for years.
Unfortunately, as intriguing as the moon melon sounds, it's just the product of digital color effects. (Source)

5. Hurricane Isaac

Retweeted thousands of times, meteorologist Josh Linker said of the ominous image, “It is a Photoshopped picture of a supercell thunderstorm that seems to pop up with a new foreground every time there is a hurricane threat anywhere.” (Source)

6. Hercules, The World's Largest Dog

An English mastiff named Hercules owned by a Massachusetts man was once recognized as the world’s heaviest dog), but it doesn’t have any connection to the dog shown in the image displayed above, which clearly does not match a newspaper photograph of the real Hercules (and his owner). (Source)

7. Shark vs Helicopter

The photo was widely circulated via an email in 2001, along with a claim that it had been chosen as "National Geographic Photo of the Year". It may be obvious to most of you, but you live in a world where some people believed this picture was real. (Source)

8. Collapse of Shark Tank in Kuwait

No, there were no sharks swimming circles around the bottom of an escalator on Kuwait. This is a photoshopped image of Toronto’s Union Station. (Source)

9. Rainbow Owl

The brilliantly colored “rainbow owl” pictured here is not an ornithological wonder that has been hunted nearly to extinction, nor does it live in the U.S., China, or anywhere else. It’s a digitally created mythical critter, an altered version of this picture of an ordinary barred owl (also known as a “hoot owl”), a bird found throughout much of North America (primarily in the eastern half). (Source)

10. Oil Rig, Water Spout, and Lightning

While the oil rig was added in later, the water spout and lightning part is actually real. It was taken by Fred Smith in Florida on June 15, 1991. (Source)

11. Statue of Liberty in Hurricane Sandy

This is yet another supercell thunderstorm that was superimposed over the Statue of Liberty. (Source)

12. The "tree of life."

According to the caption, It's a mystical tree in India or Africa. But, the truth is it's a fake tree at Animal Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. (Source)

13. Baby Polar Bear

Although it looks real, this famously circulated photograph is actually just a stuffed animal you can buy on Etsy. (Source)

14. Fetus foot.

Use your common sense people, The uterus and all the layers of muscle, fat, and skin are too thick for the details of a tiny foot to show up. This is not real.